Kanye West sparks new outrage in calling slavery ‘a choice’

The rapper, never shy about expressing himself, made the comments in passing during one of two free-flowing interviews he gave as he promotes two upcoming albums.

“You hear about slavery for 400 years. For 400 years? That sounds like a choice,” West told TMZ Live, the broadcast wing of the celebrity gossip site.

West elaborated little on his statement but appeared to be drawing a parallel to how he is presumed to hold certain views as an African American artist.

Kanye West stirs up the TMZ newsroom over TRUMP, SLAVERY and FREE THOUGHT. There’s A LOT more that went down … and the fireworks are exploding on @TMZLive today. Check your local listings for show times. pic.twitter.com/jwVsJCMPiq

He enraged many fellow artists – but was embraced by conservative commentators – as he praised Trump, who has since cited the rapper’s words as evidence of minority support.

In a separate interview with radio host Charlamagne tha God, West said he had not followed Trump’s policies but, “When I see an outsider infiltrate, I connect with that.”

West — who in 2005 made headlines by saying that then president George W. Bush “doesn’t care about black people” — is one of the few prominent African Americans to support Trump, who built his career by promoting unfounded conspiracy theories about former president Barack Obama’s birthplace.

Speaking to Charlamagne tha God, West said he was upset that Obama invited other rappers to the White House such as Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z.

Is it possibly a manic episode? He has to be under a lot of pressure to be in the middle of the countries divide. He is a college dropout and really should not speak on history without study. His logic and insight are poor. That kind of pressure could crack anyone.